NUT political fund

The NUT teachers’ union is balloting members over whether to set up a political fund.

This would allow the union to take up a number of campaigns, including against

fascist election candidates, such as those from the British National Party (BNP).

Steve Johnston, president of Leeds NUT, spoke to Socialist Worker in a personal capacity. “The BNP have leafleted schools in Leeds in the past,” he said. “We need a political fund so that the NUT can effectively campaign against the BNP.”

The ballot ends on Monday 28 January.

Pay campaign

An upbeat meeting of divisional secretaries in the NUT teachers’ union was held on Wednesday of last week.

NUT leader Steve Sinnott said that a strike “will be entirely justified if the government proposes anything less than the current 4.2 percent rate of inflation”.

Activists will now be preparing for an expected ballot for industrial action over the deal.